A FEAR Christmas
by M10m gas mask soldier
Summary: One shot side story for The Broken Soldier. It is set after the conclusion of its parent story. One Christmas Eve, Becket's eight year old daughter requests to see Santa despite the fact that she knows that he is not real. Alma cannot help herself and challenges Becket with a bet. Who will win? Rated M for safety.


Title: A F.E.A.R. Christmas

Origin: F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin

Genre: Humor/Family

Type: AU

POV: Michael Becket

A.N.: I hope everyone had a great Christmas! This was a random idea I suddenly got two days ago. I wrote it for a friend but then decided to post it too. It is the same characters seen in my other story The Broken Soldier. This takes place after the conclusion of the main story so I had to be a little vague about certain character identities. I want to point out that this is not supposed to be serious or heavy. I thought I should do something festive.

Okay, I am exhausted. Been up for a few days straight. Once I get some sleep, I will go back through and correct any errors. Update: I think I got most of the errors.

I hope the readers like it. Review if you want.

Snow flurries swirled around the frost-covered jet black MH-60M Black Hawk as it powered through the winter storm under the skilled and experienced control of Morales. The rugged battle scarred helicopter shook as she weathered the powerful forces of nature that seemed Hell bent on preventing us from reaching our targets. However, inside, the members of Dark Signal and I were unfazed by the bucking of our means of transportation. To remain standing, we adjusted our limbs to absorb the sporadic rocking of the old girl's hull. In flight on either side of us, the two grey frost-covered Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallions, which are Pave Lows on steroids, accompanied us on our mission to capture the targets. Atlas 1 was the call sign for the one on our left and Atlas 2 was the call sign of the one on our right.

We were in serious danger of running behind schedule. Should we fail to meet the deadline, the resulting disaster could very easily have catastrophic consequences. Even the uplifting cheerful melody of the seasonal Christmas music piping through the recently installed aftermarket speakers for the enjoyment of the raven-haired child leaning against the red dress clad goddess of darkness that was standing directly across from me in the cargo bay could not ease the stress in the air.

Morales finally called out, "Sixty seconds out." Addressing my brothers and sisters in arms around me, I said, "My friends, you all know I hate giving speeches, but given the circumstances, I feel that it is necessary so here it is. You all know the Hell that we are about to charge into as well as I. The forces against us are daunting and nightmarish, but not insurmountable. I have complete faith in every single one of you. We are Spartans! Remember your training and this will be a walk in the park."

The helicopter noticeably descended and slowed as Morales informed us, "LZs in sight." Below us, I could now make out out the snow laden building rooftops and the headlights of the commuters of the town we were invading. As we maneuvered down to near rooftop level, Morales called out, "Point of no return approaching. Becket, last chance to back out bro. What are your orders?" Without hesitation, I declared, "Override authorized. Operation Nutcracker is a go." Morales replied, "Roger that. Going dark."

After a moment, the pilot for Atlas 1 spoke through my com link, "Position One reached. Proceeding to LZ Nine of Spades." The massive helicopter banked away from us as it proceeded towards its assigned landing zone. I spoke to the squad leader onboard Atlas 1 through my com link, "Delta 1, you boys ready to rock?" The charismatic leader of Wolf Pack replied, "Always sir! The target will be back in Sparta by the deadline even if I have the carry the bastard there on foot." I smirked before I said, "Just remember that we need the tree to stay alive long enough to fulfill its purpose." Delta 1 replied, "Understood, sir. Wolf Pack out."

Beside me, my diehard loyal friend Alpha 1 asked, "What if the trees have been poorly bred and cared for?" I assured him, "UAV reconnaissance has confirmed the presence of trees that fall within the acceptable parameters." He nodded as he commented, "I would hate to disappoint our client." I replied, "No more than me, my friend." Our helicopter descended once more as we neared a massive shopping center. The overcrowded parking lot that would serve as our landing zone was extremely active as the cycle of arriving and departing consumers continued with seemingly no end. As Morales maneuvered the helicopter towards the main entrance, I addressed the veterans around me, "Remember, speed is essential. You have exactly one hour to apprehend your targets, get them to Atlas 2, and then get back on this chopper. If you aren't onboard when this helo departs, your ass is walking home." They all nodded in response.

The cargo bay doors opened as the Black Hawk slowed to a hover. I pulled my black ski mask with the creepy white skull painted on the front down over my face and then repositioned my HUD glasses. When the helicopter began to hover, rappel ropes were attached to the helicopter's hull. In unison, we rappelled down to the concrete sidewalk. As soon as my boots hit the ground, I stood and positioned my arms to catch the small mass following me. Seconds later, my daughter safely landed in my grasp. She looked at me with a look of excitement and joy. I smiled back briefly before I gently lowered her to the ground. She reached back with her right hand and grasped my gloved left hand. Pulling me along, she made her way inside.

As we passed a civilian onlooker that had a comical look of shock on her face, I informed her with a humorous voice, "We couldn't find a place to park." As a group, we entered the shopping mall. After we entered the building, all the members, except for Alpha 1 and me, went off in separate directions as they went after their assigned targets. Alpha 1 kept pace with me on my right and Alma, in her now world famous child form, did the same on my left. I spoke into my com link, "Stokes, we have entered the building. We are proceeding to your location with the VIP. What is the status of the big man?"

Stokes, who had infiltrated the building in her undercover attire and secured a job that allowed her to be close to the primary mission objective, informed me, "Big man remains in my custody but we have a problem." Concerned, I asked, "What?" She answered, "Expect to encounter resistance levels that are higher than what was anticipated. I don't know the exact cause, but there was a massive influx of reinforcements about thirty minutes ago." I assured her, "Shouldn't be a problem. Go ahead and proceed with Phase Two." She replied, "Roger that." Phase Two was her revealing her identity to the target and his guards. She would then inform them of our approach. Given that everyone in the world owed us his or her life and the strange influence that Alma had inexplicably gained over the world's population, I had no doubt that the target would be more than happy to do what we asked.

Unlike how Armacham had truly believed that Alma wanted to spread her influence beyond Sparta's borders, my eternal companion had been true to her word that she only wanted vengeance on those who wronged her. So, the influence she found herself having over the population was as much of a mystery to her as it was to the rest of us. Because of our bond, I knew that she was actually afraid of the influence that she had gained. With Armacham gone, all we desired was to be left alone so we could live in peace. She and I certainly did not want anything to do with foreign matters anymore.

As we neared the target, my com link activated and Delta 1 informed me, "Sir, suitable tree acquired and transported to Atlas 1. We are headed back to Sparta." I smiled quickly before I replied, "Copy that. Outstanding work Wolf Pack." By that time, we had arrived at the target's location. The massive line of parents with their children remained silent as we calmly passed them. I supposed that the armor we wore was also a factor in them keeping their mouths shut. At the front of the line, a man dressed in an elf outfit stepped aside to let us pass.

The fake North Pole scenery and props seemed lost on my daughter as she focused on the red suited man with a white beard sitting in his chair. I suppressed the urge to laugh when I saw Stokes standing next to the Santa representative and dressed in the dorky elf costume that she seemed to want to get out of as soon as possible. When we were within a foot of the man, my daughter let go of my hand. She calmly walked up to Stokes who gently lifted her up onto the Santa's lap.

The man, who seemed to be genuinely old, asked her with a strained tone, "Have you been good this year?" She nodded happily in response. The man noticeably relaxed as he realized that he was dealing with a normal child. For some reason, we had all gained the international stigma of being unstable and crazy. Settling back into character, the Santa asked with a jolly voice, "What do you want for Christmas?" She gave the answer that she had been mentally rehearsing for most of the night, "I want a pretty red dress just like Mommy's, a new textbook about quantum physics, a baby doll like the one Mommy has, and a set of armor like Daddy's."

Through our bond, I asked my goddess, "You got all that right?" Alma visibly smiled while she replied in my mind, "Yes. I even wrapped them without help this time." I mentally laughed as I recalled the first time Alma had tried to wrap up a present. She finally got so frustrated that the present burst into flames. However, like her daughter, Alma has a disturbingly steep learning curve and a genius level intellect. Now, only a year later, she can create origami animals with the same wrapping paper.

Stokes gently removed my daughter from the man's lap and lowered her to the ground. When she was released, my daughter skipped back over to us with a huge smile on her face. As she stood before me, she raised her arms up to indicate that she wanted me to carry her. I smiled and picked her up. After I situated her so she was more or less draped over my right shoulder with her arms around my neck, I said to Stokes, "Come on, we have to get to the Black Hawk before it leaves without us." She nodded in agreement and we started making our way to the main entrance.

As we walked, I spoke into my daughter's mind, "Sweetie, just out of curiosity, you know that Santa is not real so why did you want to go see him this year?" I heard her giggle inside my mind before she explained, "I thought that I should do it once just to have it as a childhood memory. Plus, I like to watch you in action. You and your friends are so intense and militaristic about something as simple as Christmas shopping and taking me to see Santa."

I smiled as I replied through our bond, "Old habits. It is hard not to think like a soldier after you have to for a while." She asked, "So what was the deal about an hour anyway? I know it is Christmas Eve, but the mall does not close for like five hours." My smile increased slightly as I replied with my mind, "Your mother bet me that I could not organize a mission that could pull it off in an hour." Alma joined our telepathic discussion when she added, "Michael, you really could have told your friends that it was just a bet and that we are not really going to leave them behind if they can't reach the helicopter within an hour." I replied defensively, "The Replicas did know that it was a bet, but I wanted to kick Stokes, Manny, and the rest of them into high gear."

My com link interrupted us when it activated. The pilot for Atlas 2 informed me, "Sir, all targets are onboard. Returning to Sparta." I replied, "Copy that." I then asked Morales, "Manny, sitrep." He replied, "Foxtrot 813 is boarding the chopper now. Once he is in, it just leaves Stokes, Alpha 1, Alma, your daughter, and you bro." I informed him, "Copy that. We are all together and headed your way." He replied, "Copy that. Hurry your asses up man. With the cargo bay doors open, it is cold as shit out here." I shook my head humorously as I said, "Alright, we will hurry."

The next morning, Alma awakened me by rubbing her nude seductive form against my thinly clothed body. Groaning, I opened my eyes and saw that my digital alarm clock's display reported that it was 0600 hours. After giving her a questioning look, I tried to go back to sleep but she stopped me by climbing on top of me. She straddled my waist and lowered her face until our noses were touching. My mind was still foggy so I could not understand why she was insistently trying to wake me up. Sensing my confusion, she kissed me quickly before she explained in a low seductive voice, "Michael, its Christmas morning."

My mind finally caught up and I said, "Oh…right. Did you have to seduce me to tell me that?" She gave me a demonic smirk before she retracted from my body. As she got up from the bed we shared, she asked, "It worked didn't it?" Upset, I asked with a genuine hurt voice, "You were only…teasing…me?" She stopped in mid step and turned to look back at me. Her beautiful glowing eyes were the only thing I could see of her in the dark room. I saw a momentary flash of hurt before she said, "Michael, I would never do that to you. We can't do it now because she is waiting for us by the tree. We will later…I promise." Not wanting to upset her further, I got up and hugged her gently. After a moment, she said with a lighthearted tone, "Merry Christmas Michael." I replied, "Merry Christmas Alma."

About an hour later, I had managed to don my Dark Signal attire and was drinking a cup of coffee as I sat by the fire in the fireplace. Alpha 1 sat next to me with a similar slouched posture. We had set the tree up by the wall that disguised the elevator that allowed access to the now destroyed facility located beneath Wade Mansion. It was a simple bare Christmas tree since we had very little in terms of decorations. However, the two children savagely tearing into the once neatly arranged piles of presents like rabid wolves could not have cared less about the amount of decorations that adorned the tree.

While Alma and my daughter were excitedly assaulting the pile of presents underneath the tree, I asked Alpha 1, "All the Replicas got a present right?" He replied with a fatigued voice, "Yes sir. Good thing we had that second Super Stallion because I don't think we would have been able to squeeze the presents in with the tree." I nodded in agreement. Point Man entered the room alone. Confused, I asked him, "Where's the wife?" As I finished my question, a disheveled and sleepy eyed Jin entered as she said, "Right here Becket. Everyone else should be coming soon."

Hours later after the drama had subsided and our daughter had tired herself out, I walked into the study to find Alma lying on her right side in her "normal" form. She was staring at the dying fire with a dreamy expression. I walked up next to where she had her head as quietly as I could because I saw the sleeping form of our daughter snuggled against her mother's chest. With most of the day's presents being tested out on the firing ranges in the woods surrounding the mansion, it was just the three of us in the enormous building. I smiled as I slowly sat down next to my companion's head. She looked away from the glowing embers and up at me for a moment. Then, she slowly inched her way towards me while making sure to not disturb the sleeping child. When she had finally moved close enough, she lowered her head down to rest in my lap.

She continued staring into the glow of the once roaring inferno. We sat in silence for what seemed like hours before she asked with her mind, "Do you think she had a good Christmas?" I looked away from the fire and at the young girl still snuggled against her mother. I noticed that she was wearing the red dress that her mother had given her, the HUD glasses I had given her (Alma had to materialize the child sized Dark Signal attire but I was able to pitch in by giving her a spare set of glasses), and was clutching the doll that Alpha 1 had located for her. I was just as surprised as everyone else when he presented the wrapped gift from its hiding place after everyone had opened all the presents. He had managed to locate Alma's old doll from where it had been dropped while she was being taken to the vault. When I asked him how he managed to get to Still Island, he told me not to worry about it.

I smiled before I replied, "I really think she did. Did you?" I heard her giggle through our bond before she said, "I certainly enjoyed it. We should do more things like that bet." I replied, "I have to admit, it was great to go on a mission again. Ever since the last mission against Armacham, I have felt so worthless. I feel like my old self again." Alma rubbed her head against my lap briefly before she said, "I'm glad you enjoyed it because I have plenty more where that came from."

I was about to reply but I stopped when I glanced at the window behind the desk. I informed her, "Alma, look…" She slowly raised her head and looked over at the window. Outside, flurries of ash rained down from the hellish sky in a way that resembled snow. Alma commented, "It's so beautiful…" I said with a warm voice, "Merry Christmas Alma. I love you." She replied, "Merry Christmas Michael. I love you too."


End file.
